US relations undermined, SE Asia

*How [US economic warfare] tariffs could push Vietnam into the arms of China.*

There are so many ironies. South Vietnamese communist rebellion left a corrupt dictatorship (still pledging allegiance to Communism), but then the 2000-year old struggle against China reemerged. The conflict with the distant US was temporary, while the threat from nearby China was perpetual. So that dictatorship became an ally of the US, and has hosted US military bases.

I am sure the general predilection of Vietnamese is to have mutually-beneficial but not close relationship with the US. But harsh harshness fro the US can make that impossible.